“Holy shit,” she giggled.
I smiled as her laughter filled the cabin of the limo. I held her hand as her stomach and shoulders jumped with her laughter. She laughed until she had to brush tears away from her eyes—tears of happiness or tears of pent-up sorrow; I wasn’t sure.
I was simply thankful she was smiling.
“You really are something, you know that?” she asked.
She pulled her hand away from mine, and I was slightly disappointed at the loss of the feel of her. I wanted that intimate moment to come back. I wanted to relive it again with her. But I didn’t have to wait for long, because she quickly scooted across the seat again and placed her head against my shoulder.
“He really is an idiot,” I murmured.
She nodded. “I know.”
“I just hope one day you believe it.”
She lifted her head, and I felt that pretty gaze against my face as I stared into the darkness of the cabin of the limo.
She drew in a quick breath. “Well, we might as well crack open another bottle of champagne yeah?”
I chuckled. “There’s another bottle of champagne in here?”
“Two more, I think.”
“Well, you loaded this thing down, didn’t you?”
“I figured the alcohol might help us go through with it.”
Cute. She was still keeping up with this prank thing. Hunter would’ve been proud of her act. And I didn’t mind having another drink. Might as well keep the buzz going before my best friend sprung the trap on me anyway.
“Sure, I could use another glass or two,” I said.
Syn smiled. “Perfect.”
Two glasses of champagne later, and we finally saw the signs for Vegas. I was one more drink away from being absolutely shit-faced, but in some ways I felt more sober than ever. With Syn cuddled tightly against my side, I felt invincible. With her head against my chest and my arm wrapped around her, I wanted to tell the driver to keep circling Vegas until the sun began to rise. We made great time; it wasn’t quite four in the morning. And as the driver navigated the streets to the little city chapel, I drew in a deep breath.
I knew where the prank went after this. We’d get to the chapel, Syn would lure me out of the limo, and Hunter would be inside the chapel with the rest of the stunt crew where we could all enjoy a good laugh. Maybe enjoy a nice weekend in Vegas while everyone laughed at my expense. But right now? I didn’t care. All of this was worth it for the make-out session, for feeling so close to this wonderful woman, who was nothing like her reputation made her out to be.
I was also thankful for the connection, even if it wasn’t real. Still, though. It reminded me of what I truly deserved in life. It reminded me of what I deserved from a woman at my side.
Guess it’s a nice lesson to take back to Spain.
8
Syn
When we pulled up to the wedding chapel, I almost regretted it. Not because I didn’t want to do this any longer, but because I wasn’t ready to pull away from Gael. He’d really done a number on me, especially with that hot-ass make-out session. And I had just enough alcohol in me to agree to a second round.
Maybe even a third.
“So, what happens now?” Gael asked.
I saw him peering out the window as I sat up.
“Well, we go inside and get married,” I said.
His head whipped around to mine. “And you’re sure about this?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Very sure. Getting revenge on my ex is going to be nice. Being able to spring something like this on him in the media is going to be priceless. It’s going to right the wrongs he’s created in my world just to get a leg up in his own career. And I figured you could use the positive press as well. You know, since you’re in the entertainment business.”
“And the green card.”
“And the green card, yes.”
He nodded slowly, but there was something in that grin of his that foreshadowed something. Fucking hell, I needed to sober up a bit more for this. I had way too much champagne coursing through my veins.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.
He smiled. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Like you know something I don’t.”
“I don’t know. Do I?”
I paused. “Um, we don’t have time for riddles. Okay. Ready to go inside?”
“Ready whenever you are, beautiful.”
I felt myself heating at his words. “Great. Open the door and let’s see if we have enough coordination to get out of the back of this thing.”
He chuckled as he swung the door open. And then, his hand appeared. I didn’t know how he got out of the limo as quickly as he did, but he was more than willing to help me. I stood to my feet and drew in a few deep breaths of fresh air—well, fresh for Vegas. Then, Gael led me into the little wedding chapel that was decorated with so much cheesy shit it made me giggle.
There were miniature Christmas trees stacked in every corner of the place. The fake greenery was strung up with bright white Christmas lights that would flicker and come back on, as if the plug were being toggled in its socket. Santas hung from the ceiling, and the red carpet rolled down the aisle of the little chapel had sprinkles of green sparkles on it. The thing looked more dirty than anything else.
“Can I help you two?” a man asked.
I smiled. “Yes, I called ahead. Sycamore, party of two?”
“You actually gave your name?” Gael asked.
The man chuckled. “I was shocked when she called, too. But, if anyone deserves the happiness she’s found, it’s her.”
I giggled. “Your words are kind, thank you.”
“Do the two of you have rings you’ll be using? Or do you want to look at ours?”
Gael paused. “We should probably take a look at yours.”
“You know, until I can drag him ring shopping myself,” I said with a wink.
The man chuckled. “Well, my wife and I run this little chapel, and we’ve got a decent selection of placeholder rings. We aren’t like the other chapels around this city. We won’t try to sell you on diamonds that aren’t real or things of that nature. But our bands are true silver, rose gold, and white gold. Here, take a look.”
Gael’s hand fell against the small of my back as the man pulled out a couple of cases of rings, and I felt myself becoming distracted. Gael’s free hand rifled through the glass case, picking some up and studying them in the light. But me? Well, I was much too distracted at how he softly massaged my back.
Something I didn’t even think he knew he was doing.
“What about this one, sweetie?” he asked.
I had to get my wits about me. I couldn’t let myself get even more intoxicated off this man’s touch. “Uh, that one’s beautiful. I love rose gold,” I said.
Gael grinned. “I know. That’s why I figured you might like this one. A petite band that isn’t too flashy until I can get you something you’d enjoy more.”
“Anything you get me is something I enjoy.”
“Ah, what love. Such a treasure to behold,” the man said.
“We’ll take these two,” Gael said.
I was so out of it that I actually watched the man pay for the rings. As if I were helpless to stop him. I was absolutely floored at the degree he was going to in order to sell this in public. I didn’t expect him to turn me on like this, to be this kind to me. I didn’t expect his words and his advice and his courtesies to be so powerful. And I knew that then and there, this marriage of convenience would be more dangerous than I ever thought it could be.
It’ll be hard to resist him.
Then again, why did I have to?
We’d be married. We’d have to sell it to the general public. Especially with cameras on us most of the time.
No, that’s too dangerous. You’d get attached.
Right. Okay. Well, as long as the photographers got their pictures, we didn’t have to see each other much. That way, there wasn’
t the pressure of performing, well, anything else.
“Syn, did you hear me?” Gael asked.
His voice pulled me from the recesses of my mind.
“Sorry, what was that?” I asked.
He chuckled. “You okay down there?”
I nudged him playfully. “Yeah, just in awe of my love for you.”
“Oh, you’re good.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
The man laughed. “Let’s save those sentiments for the honeymoon suite, yes?”
I blushed furiously at the man’s words as Gael laughed with fervor.
“I suppose we should,” he said.
I swallowed hard at his words. Did he really mean that?
Shit, I hope he meant that.
“Whenever the two of you are ready, we can start the ceremony,” the man said.
Gael rubbed my back. “I’m ready when she is.”
“Oh! Wait a second. Hold on,” I said.
My hands slid around my body until I finally found it. The document I had folded up and shoved into one of my pockets. I pulled it out and smoothed it along the front desk where the rings had just been. Then, I reached for a pen.
“Read this and sign it,” I said.
Gael peered over my shoulder. “Ah. Yes. Just turn to the last page and let me sign it.”
I was relieved he had taken that so well—a prenup document Madison had drawn up for me at the last minute. I needed protection, but so did Gael. So, in exchange for the eventual divorce being mutual, we kept everything we came into this with, we split none of our debts, and neither of us were required to pay each other back for anything that might cost us any sort of money during this arrangement. It was simple. To the point. And protected both of us.
Which I was adamant about.
“All right. Got it signed,” he said.
“Is there a notary anywhere?” I asked.
The chapel man nodded. “I’m also a notary. It’s so we can easily witness, sign, and make official the wedding certificates.”
I held up the prenup. “I was hoping you could witness these signatures as well? Well, at least before I sign my own.”
The man nodded. “Ah, a standard prenup. Yes, of course. Has he already signed?”
“Yes, I just did,” Gael said.
“All right. Let’s finish this up so we can get you two married,” the man said.
I looked over at Gael to smile at him, but he seemed a bit confused. There was this look in his eye that I couldn’t place. One that made me wonder if he was second-guessing things. I went ahead and signed the prenup while the man watched. Then, he notarized the paperwork and handed it back to me.
I smiled. “Now, I’m ready. I mean, I’ve been ready for a while, handsome.”
Gael snapped out of his trance. “Me too, gorgeous.”
“Oh, I love it so much!” the man exclaimed. “Come, come. It’s time to get the two of you married. I know you must not be able to wait a second longer.”
He rushed his way up the aisle with our rings and a Bible in tow. I looked up at Gael and saw him gazing around the chapel, craning his neck around as if he were looking for something. The crackled recording of some song struck up, and the man gestured for us to walk down the aisle. So, arm in arm, Gael and I approached him.
“Oh, wait! We need a witness. Honey!” the man exclaimed.
I winced at how loudly he shouted before I heard soft panting behind me.
“Coming! Coming. I’m sorry, I got held up on the phone. We’ve had two more people schedule for bright and early in the morning,” a woman said.
“Everyone, this is my lovely wife. She runs the back end of things and generally takes care of what’s important,” the man said.
“Oh, shut it, you. You do lots of important things around here, too.”
I watched how the two of them interacted, and my heart melted. The way the man looked at his beloved wife. The way they kissed. The way she smiled up at him with pride in her eyes. I wanted something like that one day. A man to be proud of me. A man I could be proud of. And as I watched her walk over to my side, she tossed me a playful wink.
“Congratulations,” she whispered.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today inside this chapel and at the forefront of God’s feet to bring together two beautiful people in love and holy matrimony.”
I stole a glance up at Gael to see what he was doing. Maybe catch a glimpse of what he was thinking. And damn it, the man was still looking around the room. He wasn’t even paying attention to what was going on.
I had to nudge him with my elbow to get him to pay attention to the damn ceremony.
“Do you, Gael Diaz, take Syn to be your lawfully wedded wife?” the man asked.
Gael’s brow furrowed itself tightly before he snickered.
“Yeah. I do,” he said.
“And do you, Syn Sycamore—”
“Synclair,” I said.
The man paused. “What?”
“My first name is Synclair. Could you use it?”
He smiled. “Of course. And do you, Synclair Sycamore, take Gael to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
I nodded. “I do.”
“Then, by the power vested in me, by God, through the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may exchange rings before you kiss your beautiful bride, Mr. Diaz.”
The look of shock on Gael’s face radiated throughout his entire body. His eyes dripped with it. As we exchanged rings, and even as I pressed my lips softly against his, something had caused his body to go immobile. Fuck. Was he regretting this? Was he about to back out on me?
“Gael, focus,” I whispered.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I am. Sorry.”
“Now, with all that done, all we need to do is sign your marriage certificate. Honey?” the man asked.
“I’ve got it right here. Just need you two to fill out all the details and get it signed so I can file it with the state,” the woman said.
I sighed with relief as I bent down and filled out my side of the paperwork. The ceremony had hardly been the wedding of my dreams. Nothing like I had dreamed of as a child. But it was fake, so it didn’t count. Right?
“Gael, you ready?” I asked.
I handed him the pen and found him rubbernecking around the chapel. I knew the place looked cheesy as hell, but did he really have to make it so obvious?
“Sweetheart,” I said curtly.
His eyes snapped down to mine. “Yes, I’m ready. Sorry. The snowmen on the walls are very bright.”
I handed him the pen. “Fill out your personal details and sign at the bottom.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
I stood there and watched him sign everything on the dotted line, but the tension in his shoulders had me worried. Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be. Maybe he was already regretting this. In fact—I was almost certain he was.
“All right. It’s official,” Gael said.
He handed the pen back to the man as I nodded.
“It’s official,” I said.
“Wonderful! I’ll get this notarized and photocopied so the two of you can leave with a copy of your own. Just give me a few minutes,” the man said.
After he notarized it in front of us, he rushed off into a back room. And with his wife quickly in tow, it left us alone in the cheesy chapel room.
9
Gael
The weight of the ring on my left hand felt as if it would pull me straight through the floor. I slowly looked over at Syn, watching almost as if the world moved in slow motion. My mind recalled the events of the past hour. How Syn walked down this aisle with me, arm in arm, with a massive smile on her face. This gorgeous woman, who took some damn wedding vows, had just signed her life away to me for safekeeping.
How the fuck had that happened again?
As I stood there, fiddling with the ring on my finger, it all became so real. Where was Hunter? Where
were the laughs? The jokes? Where were the rest of the stuntmen, ready to spend a weekend in Vegas teasing me about getting married? Something about it wasn’t right. Hunter was supposed to be there, jumping out of the corner and yelling, “Gotcha, you idiot!”
But none of that happened.
“Gael talk to me. What’s wrong?” Syn asked.
She took my hand, and the electricity that shot up to my elbow jolted me from my trance. I gazed down into her beautiful hazel orbs, drinking in her loveliness. She had invaded every part of me, entranced me, and seduced me in ways no other woman had. And there I stood, with a wedding ring on my finger.
Holy. fuck. I just married Syn Sycamore.
It couldn’t be real, could it? The paperwork? The prenup? The rings? It had to be staged by Hollywood people. Yeah, that had to be it. They were filming this from front to back. The paperwork wasn’t real. The notary sure as hell wasn’t real. They just had it look real. For the movies and shit like that.
“Gael, you’re worrying me,” Syn whispered.
I cleared my throat. “Just a bit surreal, that’s all. I’m taking it all in.”
She grinned. “Along with these horrendous decorations?”
“I mean, have you even looked up?”
The two of us slowly looked up, and we saw all sorts of things dangling from the ceiling. Snowflakes and Santa Clauses. Someone had tucked fake greenery underneath the particleboard tiles that made up the ceiling. Syn giggled profusely as she wrapped her arm around my waist, holding me close and allowing me yet another touch of her warmth.
“So! Does the lovely couple want to take pictures to commemorate the moment?” the man asked.
Play your part, Gael.
I grinned. “Sure. I’d love to take some pictures with my lovely wife.”
Syn giggled. “I’m sure I look like a mess right now.”
“You look beautiful. Like you always do.”
I gazed down at her and found her bright, beautiful eyes twinkling back at me, like snowflakes on a cold Christmas morning.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
I shook my head. “No thanks needed, it’s the truth.”
His Secret Baby Page 5
